


Valentine’s Day Chocolates

by Zeplerfer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gryffindor America (Hetalia), Gryffindor England, Hogwarts AU, M/M, Magic, Pottertalia, Sappy Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22698652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeplerfer/pseuds/Zeplerfer
Summary: Just because Arthur and Alfred are both in Gryffindor doesn’t mean they have to get along. But after years of insults, Alfred shockingly asks Arthur on a date. Why the sudden change?
Relationships: America/England (Hetalia)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 114





	Valentine’s Day Chocolates

Hogwarts rose enchantingly in the distance as the first-year students crossed the Black Lake by boat. The lights of the castle and the lanterns in the boat shimmered like diamonds sprinkled across a dark velvet night sky. The students gasped in wonder. Even Arthur Kirkland, who had heard many stories of Hogwarts from his older brothers, marveled at the beautiful sight.

Next to him, an overeager muggle-born named Alfred Jones gaped in amazement at the castle that would be their home for the next seven years. It was the first time he had been silent for more than five minutes during their entire day-long train ride up from King’s Cross station. He had latched onto Arthur at the beginning of the train ride and had asked a constant stream of questions about Hogwarts, Arthur, and everything having to do with magic. Given his normal difficulty making friends, Arthur was happy to obliged.

Once the boats reached the stone steps that led up to the castle, Alfred turned to look at Arthur. “What happens next?” he asked breathlessly.

“We go to the Great Hall and the sorting hat picks our house.”

Alfred wrinkled his nose in confusion. “A hat puts us in houses?”

“Not _those_ sorts of houses. We’re divided into four groups and we live in different dorms. Each house represents something different.” Arthur tried to explain the philosophies behind the four different Hogwarts houses to the best of his eleven-year-old ability as they climbed the never-ending stone stairs. “Slytherins want to win at any cost. Ravenclaws are smart. And Gryffindors love fighting and think they’re always right.”

“Isn’t there a fourth house?”

Arthur shrugged. “Just Hufflepuff. Nobody cares about those duffers.”

“Wow. You’re smart. I bet you’ll be in Ravenclaw.”

“Perhaps.” Slytherin was the only house that would make Arthur’s pure-blood parents proud. But after spending the first eleven years of his life sharing a house with his annoying older brothers, he disliked the idea of spending even more time with the two who were still attending Hogwarts.

“I’m going to be in Gryffindor,” Alfred declared. “You should be in the same house as me. It’ll be fun!”

“We don’t get to pick. The hat decides.”

They entered the magnificent castle, following the line of first years into the candle-lit Great Hall. Alfred gaped at the candles levitating in mid-air and beamed with happiness. “Magic is awesome!”

Arthur nodded and silently pondered his choice of houses. He imagined the disappointed looks on his parents’ faces to have a son in Gryffindor. But—for some reason—the grinning face next to him suddenly seemed more important than parental approval.

The sorting hat sang a jaunty tune and placed them into houses one by one in alphabetical order. Alfred’s smile grew even wider as the hat cried out: “Alfred Jones… Gryffindor!”

Next in line came Arthur. After a few moments of indecision, the hat announced, “Arthur Kirkland… Gryffindor!”

Arthur’s brothers booed loudly while Alfred jumped for joy. Arthur smiled back at his new friend and decided that Hogwarts was going to be the best time of his life.

* * *

_Six years later…_

Arthur sat quietly in the corner of the Gryffindor common room working on his Transfiguration essay. Although the common room was usually decorated in colors of luscious red and brilliant gold, someone had sprinkled magical pink hearts on the wallpaper and ceiling for St. Valentine’s Day. The girls cooed over the pink-and-red concoction, but Arthur found it an eyesore. He kept counting down the days until the room returned to its normal red-and-gold color scheme. Only one week left.

The common room sat empty during the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff Quidditch match, giving Arthur plenty of time to do his homework in peace next to the cozy fireplace. He had managed to finish most of his essay before a happy commotion in the hallway outside told Arthur that, one, the game was over and, two, Gryffindor had emerged victorious.

Alfred, now captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sauntered into the common room with his broomstick hooked behind his shoulder and a carefree smile on his face. He had hit a growth spurt in his fifth year, transforming from a chubby, awkward kid into the golden boy of Gryffindor with his firm chest, sun-kissed skin, and muscular frame. His baby blue eyes and megawatt smile were still the same, but more people appreciated them now that they were part of a more attractive package.

“At least they’re always such good sports about losing,” the team seeker, a fifth year named Sophie, said as she walked into the room alongside Alfred. “I mean, you don’t have to worry about anyone trying to hex you!” She was tall and slender, with a pretty smile and thick brown hair tied into a bun. Rumor had it the two were a couple. They certainly looked like a matching pair as they walked together in their red-and-gold Quidditch robes.

Arthur frowned from his position next to the fireplace. His growth spurt had sputtered out too soon, leaving him a critical few centimeters shorter than the other sixth years. But what he lacked in stature, he made up for with the authority granted to him by the golden Prefect badge pinned to his black wizard robes. The other students lived in fear of his strict, take-no-prisoners attitude. At least, Arthur tried to use his badge to make the Gryffindor students respect him and all of the Hogwarts rules. Unfortunately, no one paid him the least bit of attention as they gathered around Alfred and Sophie and congratulated them on their latest Quidditch victory.

“It was an easy game,” Alfred insisted with false modesty to his adoring fans. “You know Hufflepuffs can’t play for shit.”

One of the third-year girls in his little fan club approached him with a heart-shaped box of chocolates. “So… do you have any plans for Valentine’s Day?” she asked quietly. The room hushed to hear Alfred’s answer.

“Uh…” he stared at the box uneasily. “I’ve already got somebody in mind.”

“Oh.” The girl’s voice sounded tiny and sad. “Well, maybe this will help.” She gave him the chocolates anyway and walked away with glistening eyes.

Arthur felt a pang of sympathy. He accidentally splashed ink across the page as he pressed down too hard with the quill. He sighed and blotted away the extra ink using the corner of his robe. At least the black robes hid ink stains well.

Distracted by his essay, Arthur didn’t notice Alfred’s approach. “I bet you haven’t gotten any chocolates yet, Mr. Prefect,” Alfred teased as he walked over to Arthur’s corner and showed off his heart-shaped trophy.

“You’d be wrong.”

“Other than from your mother.”

Alfred’s group of admirers laughed as Arthur flushed. His mother always sent amazing chocolates, not that he shared them with Alfred any more. Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Better watch out or all your chocolates will make you fat.”

A brief look of hurt flashed in Alfred’s eyes before being replaced with a smirk. “I thought insults were against the rules, Mr. Prefect.”

“Not an insult. Merely some nutritional advice.” Arthur smiled. “Now, if you don’t mind… I’m _trying_ to finish my homework and I would suggest everyone else here do the same. If we don’t do our homework, Gryffindor loses points.” Arthur glared at Alfred’s gaggle of friends and tapped his Prefect’s badge to drive the point home. Alfred and the group muttered about annoying, prissy prefects under their breaths, but they still grudgingly walked away, leaving the common room empty once more.

Alfred headed upstairs to the boy’s dormitory—almost certainly to take a shower in the boy’s bathroom and change out of his sweaty Quidditch robes. Unbidden images popped into Arthur’s head of glistening skin and steamy mirrors. Arthur bit his lip and refocused on his essay. As the fire cackled gently nearby, Arthur worked until he had reached the required length in discussing what sort of alterations were possible in human transfiguration and the dangers associated with each change. For example, an attempt to permanently trim one’s eyebrows could result in even bushier eyebrows than before. Not that Arthur had any personal experience with the matter.

Once Arthur finished, he carefully rolled up the scroll and tied it up with a bow. He stood and headed for the stairs that led to the boy’s dormitory. As Arthur crossed the room, he noticed Alfred’s box of chocolates had been forgotten on a side table near the sofas. Arthur shook his head, picked it up, and headed upstairs to drop off his scroll before dinner.

The dormitory for sixth year boys was a large room with four sets of beds. Like everything else in Gryffindor, the upholstery, linens, and carpets were various shades of red and gold. On the far wall, tall, leaded windows provided a wonderful view of the snowy inner courtyard, which had turned an ethereal blue as dusk spread over the castle.

Alfred sat lounging on his bed as Arthur entered the room. Alfred had changed out of his Quidditch robes and was back in his normal black robes. He looked up as Arthur entered the room and immediately noticed the box of chocolates in Arthur’s hand. “Decided you weren’t going to get your own?” he asked with a smirk.

Arthur rolled his eyes and placed the box of chocolates on Alfred’s nightstand. “This is no way to treat a gift. What if she saw that you had left them in the common room? You should at least have the manners to _act_ like you enjoy it instead of just throwing it away.”

Alfred grinned and laughed. He studied the heart-shaped chocolate box for a few moments, then selected a chocolate and plopped it into his mouth. “Aw, who knew you were such a softie.”

“I’d rather be a softie than a rude, inconsiderate git.”

An odd look suffused Alfred’s face as he finished eating the chocolate. Eventually, he asked, “Arthur, do you hate me?”

Arthur froze in the act of placing his scroll and quill into his satchel for the next day’s lessons. He looked up and tried to read Alfred’s peculiar expression. Even as Alfred’s sad eyes tugged at his heartstrings, Arthur refused to admit anything that would suggest his true feelings. “No, I don’t hate you. But you are very annoying.”

Alfred nodded and slowly began to smile. “What do you think of Herbology?”

“Why are you asking such daft questions?” Arthur narrowed his eyes. “You’re looking for homework help again, aren’t you?”

“No, I just wanted to figure out what you like. Wanna try one of these? They’re really good.” Alfred plopped another chocolate into his mouth and then offered the open box to Arthur.

“No. I don’t want your stupid chocolates. You’re just trying to bribe me into helping you with your homework,” Arthur grumbled as he finished buckling up his satchel. He set it on his trunk and turned to glare at Alfred, who gaped at him like a deer trapped in a _lumos_ spell. “You think I don’t know you forgot your homework? This is what happens when you pay more attention to Quidditch than your classes.” Arthur shook his head and headed for the door.

“Wait!” Alfred jumped out of bed and rushed forward, his robes flapping behind him. He grabbed Arthur’s sleeve before Arthur could leave the boy’s dormitory. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Arthur whirled around and angrily reclaimed his ink-stained sleeve from Alfred’s grip. “I don’t care what you say, I’m not helping you with your homework again.”

“I know you like me and I like you, too,” Alfred blurted out.

Arthur stared at Alfred in stunned silence, while Alfred gave him a soft, bashful smile. Arthur’s heart pounded uncomfortably. “No, I don’t,” he insisted. “You make fun of me!”

“Yeah, but I only tease you because I want you to pay attention to me.”

“You… what?” Arthur gaped in surprise.

“C’mon, Artie. Go out with me to Hogsmeade.”

The nickname stirred years of fond memories and the words were exactly what Arthur wanted to hear, but his formidable cynicism crushed the hope welling in his chest. Arthur shook his head in disbelief. “You’re taking the piss. Your chums are hiding under the beds and you’re all waiting to have a good laugh at me.” Arthur bent down and quickly searched under beds for hiding students. Next he looked inside the armoires. He found nothing, but that didn’t erase his suspicions completely. There was plenty of magic that could hide people. Arthur experimentally poked the empty air with his wand while Alfred watched in complete perplexion.

“What are you looking for?”

Arthur kept his wand in his hand and turned back to face Alfred. “You’ve insulted me for the past year and now you just expect me to go out with you on a whim?”

“It’s not a whim. I’ve been thinking about asking you out for months.” Alfred gave him another sad little smile. “Just scared you’ll say no. But now I’ve got a really good feeling you’ll say yes!”

Arthur cautiously took a few steps forward. “You really want to go out with me?”

“Of course, I do! You’re…” Alfred bit his lip nervously and glanced down at the floor before meeting Arthur’s gaze. “You’re smart and wicked sarcastic and you’re cute as hell.”

“Hmm.” Arthur crossed his arms. If this was a joke, he was going to see how long Alfred was willing to commit to it. And if it wasn’t a joke, if Alfred’s teasing had been his terrible attempt at flirtation this entire time… his stomach fluttered at the thought. “I’m going to need to see a change in behavior before I agree to anything. Ask me again tomorrow.”

Alfred pouted in disappointment.

“And don’t tell anyone!” Arthur quickly added. “I’d rather not be the source of jealousy right before Valentine’s Day.

“Okay. Fine.” Alfred left for dinner with a dejected look on his face. Arthur sat down heavily on his own bed and wondered what the hell had just happened.

* * *

True to his word, Alfred said nothing of their conversation. Instead, he moped during breakfast and lunch, and the Gryffindor gossips all wondered what could have happened. Was it possible that someone had rejected Alfred for Valentine’s Day? Who could do such a thing? Alfred’s normal insults and pranks disappeared for the day. He sat near Arthur during Herbology class and managed to spend the entire class listening attentively. He even slipped Arthur a pink rose as they left the Herbology greenhouse.

“Go out with me?” Alfred whispered as the other students walked back to the castle ahead of them.

“Not yet,” was Arthur’s non-committal response.

The next day, during Potions class, Alfred whispered a reminder to add the baneberry _before_ the bitter root. Arthur took the advice and his potion turned out beautifully. He gave Alfred a grateful nod and decided that perhaps it was worth taking a chance to see if Alfred meant any of the lovely things he had said.

The rest of Potions class passed in a pleasant blur. They covered the various “emotional” potions, ranging from love to hate. Some, like a luck potion, were harder to quantify. Truth potions forced you to tell the truth, while empathy potions made it easier to determine if others were telling the truth. Arthur took a few notes, but mostly he daydreamed about what it would be like to spend his final two years at Hogwarts with a handsome, kind, loving boyfriend.

* * *

Later that evening, when they were alone in the boy’s dormitory, Arthur suggested sneaking up to the Astronomy Tower to go star-gazing. It was against the rules, of course, but as a Prefect, Arthur knew the patrols and the best way to stay hidden.

Alfred beamed and jumped in excitement. “Of course!”

They met near the portrait that hid the entrance to the Gryffindor common room just after midnight, once the other sixth year boys had fallen asleep. Alfred had a bookbag tucked under his arm and he nodded at Arthur to lead the way.

Arthur stepped out into the dark corridors and carefully led Alfred through the sleeping castle. The caretaker and his cat followed a strict pattern in their nighttime rounds. If one knew the schedule it was easy enough to avoid them, and Arthur had learned the pattern well during his own time as Prefect spent patrolling the hallways after-hours, keeping an eye out for misbehaving students. Alfred and Arthur padded quietly along the hallways and soon arrived at the tall, spiral staircase that led to the top of the Astronomy Tower. They climbed upwards in silence with nothing but the tip of their wands to light the way. Arthur was panting slightly by the time they reached the top, but he felt a rush of elation as they stepped into the empty classroom. It was cold and dark, but the large windows that circled the room gave a beautiful view of the clear night sky. They stepped out onto the balcony and Arthur sucked in a breath of frosty air. He exhaled and his warm breath made a white cloud that glowed in the moonlight.

“Here, I brought something to keep us warm,” Alfred said as he pulled a thermos from his bag and poured Arthur a cup of hot chocolate.

Arthur wrapped his hands around the cup and warmed his fingers. Then he took a sip and the warmth seemed to spread throughout his entire body, from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Arthur sighed in contentment. “This is wonderful. What is it?”

“Miss Molly’s EverWarm Hot Chocolate.”

“It’s delicious.” Arthur stared down into the cup. The scent of creamy rich chocolate wafted up to his nose—the warmth and gentle aroma only slightly dampened by the cold. “I’m sorry I didn’t think to bring you anything.”

“Hey, no worries.”

“No, I need to repay the favor. Perhaps I can buy you a drink at Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop on Valentine’s Day?” Arthur suggested. He glanced at Alfred out of the corner of his eye. For once, Arthur was willing to side with hope over cynicism and admit to himself that Alfred wasn’t playing a joke.

It was hard to make out Alfred’s expression in the darkness, but Arthur liked to imagine the wide-eyed, open-mouth look of shock. There was no mistaking the utter delight in Alfred’s voice as he exclaimed happily, “Yes! It’s a date!”

They edged a little closer together and gazed out into the cold, dark, and starry night. Hogwarts slept soundly beneath them and Hogsmeade was nothing more than a few pinpricks of light in the far distance. With no artificial lights nearby, it was easy to see the Milky Way in all its grandeur above them, hanging over the mountains of the Scottish Highlands. Arthur offered the cup of hot chocolate to Alfred, who eagerly took a sip.

“I love this spot,” Alfred murmured as they huddled together, warmed by the magical hot chocolate. “I like to come here to think.”

A few days ago, Arthur would have made a snide remark about not realizing that Alfred spent _any_ of his time thinking. But now he just asked, “What do you think about?”

“You,” Alfred admitted. His cheeks darkened.

“Oh.” Arthur flushed. A jumble of emotions—confusion, joy, guilt—roiled in his stomach.

“What happened to us?”

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. Somehow, in the darkness, it was easier to admit his deepest, darkest feelings and confess to his own role in the rift between them. “I know I’ve complained about how you treat me, but I was the one who started it. You came back from summer vacation our fourth year and I… I was too ashamed to admit that I was attracted to my best friend. So I pushed you away. I’m not proud of it.”

“Hey, we both fucked up. I didn’t get why you were mad at me. And then…” Alfred looked down at his feet. “Well, I guess I wanted to get even.”

Arthur leaned closer until their sides were pressed together. As soon as he did, Alfred lifted his arm and wrapped it around Arthur’s shoulder, enveloping him in the warmth of Alfred’s robe. Arthur rested his head on Alfred’s shoulder and gazed out at the distant horizon. “I wish I could take back all of the mean things I said,” Arthur whispered.

Alfred chuckled. “I dunno. Some of them were pretty funny. ‘Well, I _am_ perfect, but the word you’re looking for is _pre_ fect,’” he said, imitating Arthur’s dry delivery.

Arthur smiled. “I nearly died when you called me Mr. Perfect.”

“It was true. I was just too dumb to see it.”

“What changed?”

“Everyone kept bugging me about Valentine’s Day. But I didn’t want to go out with any of them. Then you brought me those chocolates and it finally clicked. I worried what you might say after all the names I called you, but what sort of Gryffindor would I be if I let that stop me?”

Arthur nodded. “My parents like to say it’s just a rebellious phase.”

“Being gay?”

“No, being in Gryffindor. They don’t care that I’m gay.”

“Well, at least they’re not completely terrible.” Alfred turned to face Arthur and gently brushed his fingers against Arthur’s warms cheeks. “Must be the magical hot chocolate, huh?” he said with a smile.

“Yes. Definitely the hot chocolate,” Arthur agreed. He tilted his head upward and closed his eyes.

They both jumped in surprise as the clock struck one in the morning above them. The bell caused the balcony to rumbled beneath their feet and Arthur spilled what was left of the hot chocolate all over his robe.

“Shit,” Arthur muttered as he flapped his robe to dry off the hot chocolate. “We should head back. This will be our clearest break from patrols for the next hour.”

Alfred sighed, but nodded and followed Arthur down the spiral staircase. As they walked, he took Arthur’s hand and held it the entire way back to Gryffindor.

* * *

They had Divinations class in the Astronomy Tower the next day. Arthur disliked the wooly subject and its loony professor, but class didn’t seem as bad as usual when he could gently touch the rose hidden in the pocket of his robe and glance outside at the balcony where he and Alfred had shared a heart-to-heart the night before. He even risked a few glances at Alfred—who spent the whole class looking like a happy, lovestruck loon. The curious Gryffindors wondered what he had seen in his crystal ball to make him so happy.

Arthur smugly kept the answer hidden to himself. If an entire classroom of students couldn’t use divination to figure out why Alfred was smiling uncontrollably, it was proof once again that Divination was a useless subject. Arthur was grateful as always when the class ( _finally_ ) ended with no serious premonitions of doom. They never came true, but they did give people the jitters.

While the teacher called after the students, reminding them to clean their balls, Arthur and the other Gryffindors snickered. They descended the spiral staircase with their Ravenclaw classmates on their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Eventually the stairs merged into the stone corridors of Hogwarts castle, which had also been decorated with hearts and cupids to celebrate the impending holiday.

As usual, the Hogwarts tables overflowed with abundant platters of food. There was steak and kidney pie and sausages, with a wide assortment of bread rolls, vegetables, and cheeses on the side. Arthur sat with the other sixth-years, secure in the knowledge that—for once—he wasn’t going to be the butt of Alfred’s jokes.

The teenagers ate eagerly from the constantly-refilling platters and Alfred hummed happily to himself as he savored a jam roly-poly for dessert. It was Alfred’s favorite dessert. Arthur nibbled on his own custard tart as he watched Alfred out of the corner of his eye.

The other Gryffindors had chatted about their plans for Hogsmeade on Valentine’s Day. Their classmate Ethan eagerly bragged about his Hufflepuff girlfriend (a girlfriend that his friend Liam thought he was making up). Eventually they turned to Alfred. “So… is your date a Slytherin or something? That why you’re not talking about her?”

Alfred just smiled and licked the jam from his fingers.

“You’re no fun,” Liam groused before turning his attention to Arthur. “How about you, your Prefect badge gotten you a date yet?” he asked with a smirk. “I bet _someone_ would be willing to take one for the team if you offered to stop taking away Gryffindor points all the time.”

“Yeah, it’s your fault we’re going to lose the House Cup this year,” Ethan added. “Slytherin Prefects don’t take away points for breaking rules!”

“I thought the goal was to be _better_ than the Slytherins?” Arthur pointed out mildly. “If you just want to win, you might be in the wrong house.”

“No wonder you don’t have a date,” Liam grumbled.

“Come on, guys,” Alfred suddenly chimed in. “We have to beat Slytherin without cheating.”

Liam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. You just want Slytherin to win to make your girlfriend happy.”

“I wonder if she used a love potion on him?” Ethan mused.

They all turned to look at Alfred, who just laughed. “What are you talking about? I’m totally fine,” he insisted.

Arthur paled and he nearly banged his forehead against the table at his own stupidity. Alfred’s sudden change of heart came after he’d eaten a chocolate given to him by one of his fans. It was a love potion. It had to be! All of the signs were there and Arthur had missed it because he had _wanted_ so badly for Alfred to share his feelings. The truth was that Alfred didn’t love him and after this he never would.

“We should take him to Madam Pomfrey for the antidote,” Arthur said, managing to keep the raw pain out of his voice.

Liam lifted an eyebrow. “We?”

Arthur grimaced and nodded. “If someone is spreading love potions, I need to know about it.”

“Guys, I’m fine,” Alfred interjected. “It’s not a love potion.”

They all gave Alfred a pitying look. The poor deluded teenager was too far gone to realize what had happened to him. Arthur’s conscience prodded him to be the first to speak up, “There’s no harm in having it checked out,” he noted logically. “If it’s not a love potion, Madam Pomfrey will know.”

“You either come with us or we drag you there,” Ethan added.

“Alright, fine.” Alfred threw up his hands and grudgingly followed them to the hospital wing on the north side of the Quad. There were a few students laying on cots in the well-lit room. Hogwarts was a constant source of magical mishaps caused by broomstick falls, magical creature attacks, and exploding potions.

Madame Pomfrey hurried over. Curly gray hairs spilled out from beneath her nurse’s cap as she looked them over with an expert eye. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“He’s under a love potion, ma’am,” Ethan explained, jerking his thumb at Alfred.

Alfred sighed. “I keep telling them, it’s not a love potion!”

“Yes, that’s what everyone says, dear,” Madame Pomfrey replied kindly. “Fortunately for you, the love potion antidote has no side effects. So you might as well drink it. I always have an entire case made for this time of year.” She lifted her wand and, with a flick of her wrist, cried “ _Accio_ antidote!” A vial of clear liquid flew into her grasp. She uncorked it, then handed it to Alfred. He rolled his eyes, but drank it all while the rest of them watched.

“Do you feel better?” Liam wanted to know.

Arthur bit his lip and waited for an angry denunciation.

Instead, Alfred just smiled and handed the empty vial back to Madame Pomfrey. “Yep, I feel great!”

“Suck it, Slytherin!” Ethan shouted at a nearby student with a bandage on his arm and a green-and-silver tie around his neck.

Madame Pomfrey sighed and shook her head. “Please leave.”

* * *

The entire walk back to Gryffindor House, Arthur felt like he was walking on pins and needles. He kept waiting for Alfred to announce that _Arthur_ was the one who had delivered the love potion and that Arthur had stupidly, foolishly, idiotically believed that it was possible that Alfred actually liked him when Alfred was simply suffering from a love potion. Arthur paled as he remembered all of the lovesick twaddle he had admitted to Alfred that night on the balcony of the Astronomy Tower.

But instead of saying anything, Alfred just kept giving Arthur odd glances while Liam and Ethan compared stories about the worst things Slytherins had ever done to them, ranging from the time they set pixies loose in the Gryffindor common room to the taunting smoke bombs that spelled ‘Cryffindor Cowards’ during the last Quidditch match.

They climbed the final moving staircase to Gryffindor Tower and gave the correct password (“ _Honorificability_ ”) to the Fat Lady’s portrait. Arthur was the last to enter the common room. His feet felt frozen in blocks of ice as he stepped into the room with trepidation. This was the moment Alfred had been waiting for—to announce his perfidy to the entire House!

The babble of voices paused as the students turned to see who was walking in. Alfred nodded and waved at Sophie. “Ready for next week’s game?” he called.

“Of course! Bitches get snitches,” she declared.

A few students snickered and then resumed chatting as the fire cackled merrily in the background. Alfred waved goodbye to Ethan and Liam and headed upstairs. Arthur hung back near the portrait and felt his stomach slowly begin to settle as he realized why Alfred might prefer to remain silent. Why would Alfred want to admit to their entire house that he had been in love with _Arthur_ for a couple of days? Better for both of them if no one learned the truth and blamed it instead on some sneaky Slytherin.

Arthur quietly crossed the common room and headed upstairs to the boy’s dormitory when no one was looking. He found Alfred staring down at the empty box of chocolates.

“Are you planning to tell them?” Arthur asked hesitantly.

Alfred shrugged. “You’re the one who wanted to keep it quiet.”

“I thought you were making fun of me.”

“No. The chocolates helped me feel what you felt.”

Arthur sighed and sat down heavily on his bed. He slipped a hand into his pocket and brushed his fingers against the delicate rose Alfred had given him earlier. Arthur felt like crying, but he didn’t want to do it in front of Alfred. “What now?” he asked.

“I hear the greenhouses are a great place to make out in the winter. They’re warm, the flowers smell nice, and it’s pretty secluded. You just gotta watch out for the mandrakes.”

Arthur looked up in surprise. “What?”

“I mean, obviously we’d go on a few dates first!” Alfred hastily added with a nervous laugh. “Unless…?” He lifted his eyebrows invitingly.

“But the love potion’s gone,” Arthur insisted.

Alfred started blankly. “What love potion?”

“The one in the chocolates!”

“You thought…” Alfred began to laugh. “Dude! I thought you read the box before you brought it up here. I thought you were giving me a hint!”

Arthur scrambled to his feet and hurried over to Alfred’s side. He stared down at the box of chocolates and read the cursive on the heart-shaped box. “ _Chocolate for Lovers. Gives you the intuition to know exactly what your lover wants_.”

“How did a third year get _these_?” Arthur demanded indignantly.

“She probably thought it was for finding the perfect gift or something.” Alfred glanced over at Arthur and smiled. “You really thought it was a love potion?”

Arthur shook his head ruefully. “I didn’t know why you suddenly started acting so nice. It made as much sense as anything.”

“Nope. I just finally saw what was right in front of me the whole time.”

They turned to face each other and Arthur’s worries melted away in the warmth of Alfred’s sunny smile. “Well, I don’t need a potion to know what _you_ want,” Arthur declared with a smirk of his own. He reached for Alfred’s red-and-gold tie and pulled him down just a couple centimeters so they were at exactly the same height. Then Arthur kissed Alfred soundly on the lips. Later, they both agreed, it was the best Valentine’s Day present they had ever received.

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies for any typos. I wanted to get this posted before the holiday. I hope that everyone celebrates Valentine's Day the way it was meant to be celebrated--by eating lots of magical chocolate! :D


End file.
